I have to protect them
by eljay345
Summary: Damon and Elena are engaged. They must work to protect Elena's younger siblings from Klaus.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the original Vampire Diaries characters!

Chapter 1: No Turning Back Now

The sun was just barely peaking over the trees as the Tahoe glided swiftly along the back roads of northern Pennsylvania. Twenty-two year old Elena Gilbert nervously checked her phone for the hundredth time.

"Worrying isn't going to do any good," said her fiancé, Damon Salvatore, with a sigh as he guided the SUV into the turning lane.

Elena turned away from Damon and gazed out the window. So much had changed since they had met five years ago in Mystic Falls, Virginia. Elena had been a care free teenager and Damon had been the worried over anxious twenty year old. My how their roles have their roles reversed.

Six short months ago Elena's parents had died in a tragic accident when their car had plunged off of Wickery Bridge. They had been on their way back from Elena's graduation from college. Damon had discovered that the accident had actually been caused by Klaus, an original vampire, who had been trying to kill Elena as a way of getting back at Damon. Klaus' sister had had a love affair with Damon in the 1800s, but a few decades later, she had been killed by a hunter, who wanted revenge against Damon.

The night of Elena's graduation, more than 200 years later, Klaus decided to seek his revenge against Damon, by killing the most important thing to him. But his plan had backfired. Elena had lived.

Jeremy (Elena's 15 year old brother) and Katie (Elena's 7 year old sister) had been sent to separate family members to be taken are of while Elena recuperated after the accident. Now she and Damon were traveling to the gather both Jeremy and Katie, so that the three siblings would be reunited and so that they could be protected from Klaus. They had been able to convince Katherine to replace Elena in the hospital bed so that Klaus would not suspect their motives.

Elena had called her Aunt Megan, Katie's current caregiver, to let her know that she and Damon would be coming to collect Katie that weekend. Her Aunt had declared that Katie would be much better off if Elena would leave her in peace. Now her Aunt wouldn't even pick up the phone.

"What if we get there and she won't even let us see Katie?" said Elena.

"Then I will resort to some old ways and make her easily persuaded," said Damon, giving Elena a meaningful look.

"I didn't want it to come to compulsion, Damon," said Elena as she turned to gaze out the window at the rolling countryside.

"I know," said Damon as he reached for her hand. "But we might not have any other choice."

Elena silently nodded and Damon gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Damon turned up the long winding driveway that led to the home of Elena's Aunt Megan. They had purchased clothes, toys, and some other necessities for Katie so that they wouldn't have to waste time gathering her belongs. He was thankful that Elena had thought of this because something told him that they weren't going to have a lot of time to pack once they reached the house.

"You're going to let me try to talk some sense into her first…right?" questioned Elena.

Damon nodded silently and gave her a grim smile. "But we have to be prepared to move," he countered. "It isn't going to take Klaus long to figure out that the girl in the hospital bed isn't you."

"I know, " said a resigned Elena. "I would just like to make this as calm as possible for Katie….there's no telling what kind of stories Megan has told her about us. I know it has only been months, but she's so young I –"

"Look at me," said Damon after he had put the vehicle in park. He took Elena's face between his hands gently. "They are going to be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to you all. You know that, right?"

In response she kissed his lips softly and turned to open her car door.

They reached the front door together and before Elena could knock it opened to reveal a very angry Aunt Megan.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Aunt Megan…can we come inside?" asked Elena hopefully.

"You can, " said Megan pointedly at Elena. She just stared at Damon.

"I'll wait in the car," said Damon without taking his eyes off Megan.

Elena followed Megan inside and they shut the door behind them. Once they were settled in the family room Elena finally spoke.

"Can I say hello to Katie," she asked tentatively.

"She isn't here," Megan clipped. "It's a school day and she is seven years old. If you were in any way fit to be a guardian you would know that."

Elena's blood boiled at her Aunt's words. 'Keep calm,' Elena told herself.

"I'm so anxious to see her," said Elena swiftly. "I guess I lost track of time. How is she?"

"She's fine. Finally sleeping through the night and behaving herself," said Megan.

"I know that it must have been so hard for you," said Elena slowly. "Losing your sister and then having to comfort a very sad little girl….I'm so sorry that I wasn't in a place where I was able to help…but I am now and I think that it is my right."

The silence that followed was deafening. Megan got up and strode over to the window and peered outside at Damon and then spun around quickly.

"You lost that privilege when you started cavorting with vampires," spat Megan. "How can you think that you would be able to care for her when you don't know what kind of monster might be walking through your door next?"

"Damon is not a monster," said Elena slowly as she tried to maintain her composure. "He has been the only stable thing in my life since mom and dad. I'm not sure I left his sight for the entire 6 months."

"You're an adult," said Megan. "Therefore I cannot control what you do, but I can control Katie and she will not be seeing you…let alone leaving with the two of you."

"Mom and dad made it clear that if anything happened to them that I would raise them," said Elena defiantly. "Are you really going to deny them their last wishes?"

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Damon's POV

"I really don't like that she is in there on her own," thought Damon as he drummed his fingers on the Tahoe's steering wheel.

In reality Elena had only been inside her Aunt's house for about 20 minutes, but to Damon it felt like a lifetime. After the accident he didn't like to let Elena out of his sight. He wanted to be on the road as soon as possible because their flight to Colorado was set to leave in about three hours. Elena's brother Jeremy had been sent to live with his father's brother in Denver.

Compulsion was going to be a problem if he couldn't even make it inside the woman's house, thought Damon.

Just when Damon thought that he wasn't going to be able to stand waiting any longer the school bus pulled up at the bottom of the driveway. A small girl with long dark and hair and deep, soulful brown eyes stepped off the bus and began the trek up the driveway with her polka dot backpack.

'Katie…bingo,' thought Damon as he quickly got out.

Katie Gilbert looked up about halfway up the drive and froze when she saw Damon. It broke his heart to think that Megan had poisoned her mind against him. Katie used to trust Damon immensely, but now her face told him otherwise. Compulsion seemed like the easy way out….but Damon didn't just want Katie to come with he and Elena. He wanted her to trust him again.

"Hi, Katie," said Damon as he made his way over to the spot where she stood.

"We missed you so much," said Damon as he came closer. "How was school?"

"Fine," Katie all but whispered.

"Good," murmured Damon as he crouched down to her eye level. "Did you know that your sister and I were coming today?"

Katie's eyes widened and she shook her head 'no.'

"We drove all the way here to see you," said Damon. "Elena's inside talking to your Aunt now."

Damon noticed Katie's change in body language right away. Her face darkened and she seemed to cower.

"How is it living with her?" asked Damon carefully as he rocked on his heels.

"Fine…"said Katie slowly.

Damon knew she was lying, but decided not to press her on the subject.

"Katie!" shouted a voice from behind Damon.

Damon turned and there stood Elena and Megan.

"Inside. Now." Said Megan authoritatively.

Katie made a move to go towards the house, but Damon stopped her gently. Elena came rushing forward and engulfed the little girl in a hug. Damon was surprised to see that she looked relieved and he felt encouraged somehow.

"You guys get the car," said Damon, leaving no room to argue.

Elena led the little girl to the Tahoe and lifted her into the backseat.

As soon as both doors were shut he walked toward Megan, who was standing dumbfounded on the front porch. It was as if she couldn't believe that her brainwashing of Katie could have fallen apart in that short of time.

"We're leaving now, Megan and we're taking Katie with us," said Damon as he maintained eye contact with Megan. "You will not report us and you will not follow us. She is safe and that's all that matters. Do you understand?"

"I understand," said Megan as the compulsion took full effect; she turned and walked back into her house.

Damon let out a sigh of relief and turned to open the driver's side door of the SUV. He climbed in and glanced and Elena who's was turned toward the backseat and had a worried expression firmly plastered to her face.

Without a word Damon buckled his seatbelt and swiftly maneuvered the vehicle down the driveway. No one said a word until they were speeding down the interstate, towards the airport.

"Katie," began Elena tentatively. "Look at me please."

The little girl, who was seated behind Damon, reluctantly looked up at her sister, with haunted eyes.

"Everything is going to be okay," said Elena as she reached for her.

Katie's eyes brimmed with tears as she dodged Elena's hand.


End file.
